


Replacement

by Capucine



Category: Batman (Comics)
Genre: Drabble, Gen, Introspection, slightly morbid
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-10
Updated: 2017-05-10
Packaged: 2018-10-30 03:56:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10868562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Capucine/pseuds/Capucine
Summary: Who would replace the Batman, if he died?





	Replacement

**Author's Note:**

> I do have my favorite characters, so this might be slightly biased. However, I kinda wanted to get the creative juices flowing, so.

Potentially, the best choice for replacing Batman could be Tim.

Bruce knew this, and while he didn’t buy into the notion that because someone didn’t want something, it made them perfect for the role, the reasons Tim didn’t want the cowl meant something.

Dick would only don the suit to carry on his legacy. He wouldn’t be happy doing it, and it wouldn’t suit him. He was never meant to be Batman, and they both knew it: he was something else, and in some ways, something better. He had a warmth that brought people together.

Jason would don the suit for the wrong reasons. Bruce knew there was so much good in Jason, and so many good reasons he fought, but none of them suited Batman. If Jason ever used lethal force as Batman, all bets would be off with the GCPD. Also, he would feel, once again, like he was trying to live up to someone else’s vision. It was perhaps the mistake that Bruce had made: making him Robin, and not a new identity.

Damian expected to be Batman. And that was exactly why it would be wrong for him. All of Damian’s life, he’d been given roles to assume, to expect, to prepare for, whether it be eventual Demon’s Head and ruler of the world, or Batman. What he needed most was to be his own person, and to forge his own path. Batman was less than what he needed to be, in some ways.

Duke was bright, Duke was inventive, and had a fresh perspective that so many of them had lost. He was, honestly, not a bad choice for Batman, with enough time to train. Bruce didn’t know yet whether he would stay the course, but if he did, Bruce knew he would be invaluable, and that he possessed the leadership skills to be Batman.

Cass was also a good choice, but again, as with Damian, Bruce wasn’t certain how much she needed to have her own roles. Her own choice. She was more than strong enough, but her detective skills tended to be hindered by her ability to read and sometimes, to speak. It wasn’t that she wasn’t good enough; it was that Cass was perhaps something other than Batman.

And that mostly left Tim. Who claimed he wanted to leave this life soon, but still stayed. Who was willing to become Robin for no reason other than he thought it was necessary. Who had foresight, and an ability to make friends that Bruce himself tended to lack. 

Tim didn’t want to be Batman, but Bruce thought perhaps that was for the best: if he didn’t want it for pride’s sake or because he thought he should be next in line, he would step up if necessary.

Much like with Robin, if Bruce went, he knew Tim would take on the role if he believed it to be the best way. And that was a comfort that Bruce never told anyone.

**Author's Note:**

> I am trying to write and understand Duke as a character more. Let me know if I'm being a weird ass bitch.


End file.
